moonlight tears
by tears of emerald
Summary: PaiXLettuce oneshot. Life will give us many precious things, but what if Pai has chased the thing he loves most? Slight suicidal themes OOCness on both characters.


Hi! It's me again, with another story from my fave pair! Okay, and for the record, I will start working on the sequel to 'Ash petals.' I will. IT CONTAINS OOC-NESS, ON LETTUCE'S PART AND PAI'S PART.

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The peaceful, lazy moonlight revealed the pond's surface to be smooth as glass. Pai stared at it. He would almost miss some aspects of earth. Some more than others. Namely a certain girl, whom Pai loved more than anyone else. Everything was fine with Deep blue gone. The aliens had decided to stay for a bit, but Pai was definitely leaving this planet.

"P-Pai-sama?" Came the tentative question. Pai turned, and rapidly found himself face to face with his desires. "Lettuce?" he asked, momentarily removing the ice from his voice. "What are you doing here?"

"I have something to say," said Lettuce, looking shy. "We don't have to be enemies anymore. Deep blue has been gone for 3 months. So, um, if we can't be enemies, can, uh, well... What I'm trying to say is, I love you."

Pai's heart fluttered. Here she was, the one he loved all along, saying she felt the same way? He didn't know what to say. Then, suddenly, he realized something. She had loved shirogane. Maybe it was just a crush. After all, even Pai's parents didn't love him. No one did. No one at all. But what could he say? Pai should say something, confess. But he found himself turning around. '_I'm sorry Lettuce, but we cannot be.' _He always knew that. He had to go back. And above all, Pai was certain he could not withstand another heartbreak.

"I'm going home the day after tomorrow," he said, not turning around. Lettuce's face crumpled. "O-Oh," she said. "Well, g-gomen for bothering you." She turned and began to walk away, not seeing the tear slip down Pai's cheek. The velocity of his words, his actions, didn't hit her until she was in the park, headed towards her apartment. When they did, she fell to the ground.

She tried to get up, but instead collapsed into a sobbing heap. She wanted to scream, but she didn't want anyone to hear her. It was a long time before she could stand up and head for her home again.

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_'I'm sorry, Lettuce. Why did I do that? I love you. But this place isn't my home, and my people won't accept you. and I don't belong on earth. But, if I have you, isn't that enough?'_

Pai snapped out of his daze of repetitive thought at that last thought. If he was with Lettuce, wouldn't everything be okay? He could make something that would cause him to look like a human. So why couldn't they be together?

Pai stood, and drew himself up to his full height. This was it. He was going to tell her.

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Lettuce was laying on the floor of her closet. She was staring at her power pendant, a stuffed dolphin in her arms.

all around her were random trinkets. Lettuce wasn't quite sure how they got on the floor. "Pai is leaving. Yes, he's leaving," she muttered to herself. The words didn't have any affect on her any more. She was too shell shocked for anything to process. She didn't even know how she had gotten into her green nightdress.

She shifted the dolphin in her arms, and hummed calmly. some random pointless tune. Anything to keep her sane. Next to her, on the floor, was a container of blush, spilled all over the rug and Lettuce's feet. Currently, she was staring at a picture of Pai she had drawn. She touched Pai's crayon face, longing to feel soft flesh, instead of moist, molded wax made to resemble her loved one. But alas, her wish wasn't granted.

A vanilla scented candle gave off a sweet smell, one that reminded Lettuce of happier days. "Smell that, Mr. Dolphin?" she asked softly. She needed something, anything nearby. In Her childlike state, she felt weak and vulnerable. Lettuce hated that feeling. She pulled her dolphin closer, and continued to hum.

Lettuce picked up a charcoal pencil, and began to draw. She didn't know what she was creating until it was done. It was Pai's fan. "See?" Lettuce asked, showing her dolphin. "That's Pai's fan. Isn't it pretty? Pai doesn't love me." Lettuce still felt nothing. "In fact, he hates me," she added as an afterthought. Still nothing. Nothing but a dazed sensation. She picked up her charcoal pencil again, and started to draw. This time on the wall. When she was done, she leaned back and studied the wall.

She had drawn a picture of Pai's face. It stared lifelessly past her, it's dull charcoal eyes seeing nothing. "That's Pai. He still hates me," Lettuce told her dolphin.

she couldn't feel a thing.

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Pai studied his surroundings. He had teleported himself into Lettuce's room. All around him, various possessions were strewn across the floor. He saw pieces of paper, torn and shredded, laying on the floor. He picked one up.

_and I know you don't see me,_

_But I can see you._

_It's worth it in the end_

_if you smile at me._

Pai realized it was a love poem. Lettuce had written him a love poem. Then torn it up. Pai didn't blame her. He had written her a few sonnets which he would have torn up, if she had acted like he had.

But where was Lettuce? Pai didn't hear her. In fact, the room was deathly still. He uneasily began to walk towards the door on the far end of the room. Torn pictures lay on the ground, all of him. The air was still, but it smelled distinctly like... Vanilla. Pai saw the reason why. A lit vanilla scented candle was on Lettuce's desk.

The door to what Pai assumed to be the closet was open. Pai hesitantly moved it aside a bit more. What he saw shocked him.

There was Lettuce, sitting on the floor in a green nightgown. She was clutching a stuffed dolphin, and her back was to him. She was writing something on the wall... Pai couldn't quite see it.

Suddenly her hand moved away, falling limply to her side. Pai's heart shattered. On the wall, Lettuce had written 'Pai doesn't love me.' "That's Pai," Lettuce whispered, apparently to her stuffed animal companion. "He hates me SOOOOO much."

Pai stepped forwards. How could he have let her think that?

Lettuce still didn't realize she had a companion. She was busy looking at her picture of Pai's fan. "Fuu rei sen!" she whispered. if Pai had been facing her, he would have seen the melancholy smile on her face. Lettuce surveyed her work, still too numb to feel a thing.

"Lettuce," said Pai gently, to avoid startling her. Lettuce sat up straighter and turned around. She gasped when she saw Pai standing there. She stood, still holding the dolphin. "Pai?" she asked. "Is it you?" Pai nodded. "Lettuce...," he said. Suddenly he noticed a small cut, right on her elbow.

"Did you do that?" he asked gently. Lettuce looked down in shame, and nodded.

"Oh, Lettuce," said Pai. He reached forwards and gently embraced her. Lettuce wasn't sure what to do. Everyone has some version of heaven, and Lettuce was in hers. She relaxed, and leaned into Pai's shoulder. '_This is as close as I'll ever get,'_ She thought.

Pai pulled back first, taking in Lettuce's bedraggled appearance. Her cheeks were sticky from the tears, and her hair was a mess. add that her feet were covered in blush, she was holding a stuffed dolphin she had just been talking to, and she was old enough to own her own apartment, and she looked heartbreakingly forlorn.

"Lettuce!" said Pai desperately. "I'm sorry. I didn't know what to say. I thought, because we were from different planets, it wouldn't work out for us. But then I realized, I'll be happy as long as I am near you. Please, Lettuce, forgive me. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." a single tear slid down his cheek. Lettuce sat in shock.

"Really?" she asked in a small voice. Pai nodded. "Really," he said.

Lettuce could feel the ice around her heart that had been protecting her from feeling melt away. "I love you, Pai," she said, kissing his cheek.

"I love you, too," Pai said, and then his lips met hers. And at that moment, all was right in their worlds.


End file.
